Customer Reviews

Magic Lantern Guides: Canon EOS-1D Mark III EOS-1Ds Mark III

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Excellent, though brief, guide to this very powerful camera's many controls and functions. It goes much deeper into each of the zillion buttons, switches, and screens than the manual ever could, and the writer even discusses actual uses for each of them. Although it'd be better if many of the illustrations could be larger and in color, the clear black-and-white pictures provided are more than adequate. Good basic discussion of lenses and accessories, too, as well as information about the uses of Canon's provided software. The six-page, foldup pocket reference card is on good heavy stock and is, I think, plastic-coated and can stand up to a bit of carrying around as you get more familiar with the 1D Mark III in the field. Some of the Magic Lantern Guides I've seen aren't too much better than rehashes of the manufacturer's manual, but Michael Guncheon does a fine job of bringing the real world use of this pro camera into focus. If I were you, I'd buy it.

This is an excellent suppliment to the original Canon manual. Where the original manual sometimes shows that it has been written by folks with English as a 2nd language, this manual does a better job of explaining functions. However, don't throw away your manual. Sometimes the manual is just what you need as the organization of this book sometimes makes things difficult to find.

This book is excellent! It is easy to read, understandable and well written. Perfect for the new owner, for the experienced camera-bug, and for the professional. As a reference, nothing is better including Canon's owner's book. When you purchase the Mark III, this should be a must-have to go with it.

I do not have any negative things to say about this book.
I enjoyed nearly every page. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone using one(or both) of these cameras!
Even if you 'think' you know how to use it, you will find this very helpful!!

This book is a must for owners of the Canon EOS-1D Mark 111 and the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark 111. So far this is the best book written on this subject, as a matter of fact this book should be issued with every Canon EOS-1D Mark 111 sold its that good.

Not much new information in here. I'm disappointed. It is, however, professionally written and maybe there's not really more to tell?

It seems that cameras are getting more complicated every day. The Mark III-1DS is probably the poster child for an abundance of features that must be understood, of options that must be chosen, of settings that must be set. Navigating menus and making intelligent decisions or choices with confidence is what this book helps you do.

To start out with, it lays out the 10 basic steps for getting started. A lot of your fear and inhibition goes away at this point. Like every other manual-like camera book, it illustrates the camera and points out locations of all relevant buttons, slots, knobs, levers, and dials then follows up with more detailed information about them. But what is really helpful is the detailed way it then follows up with the menus, sub-menus, settings, and metering modes and the countless options available in all of the above and which to use when. To top it all off, there are card-sized "cheat sheets" that you can take with you in case you need a quick reference.

I don't own the camera. (I wish I did). I rented it on two consecutive weekends to work on a project that required really large images that would be printed on canvas. I had no hands-on time to get acquainted with the camera or take practice shots and I had very little time to familiarize myself with its operation. This book helped me feel (more or less) comfortable with the camera as I was able to know ahead of time what my settings needed to be, what was relevant to me and what wasn't, what I could relegate to the camera and what I really needed to control myself, and how to handle the camera overall for the particular project I would be working on.

There was no eventuality having to do with the handling and operation of the camera or its settings that the book did not prepare me for. Every bit of information that I needed was there and easy to find.

The only bit of information that I realized (after shooting) that was not there was the extent to which processing these large files will slow down (and crash) an average computer. Mine can handle 10.3 megapixel camera files without problem while I add multiple layers, filters, and tool operations in Photoshop. It took forever to just open one of these 21 megapixel images. Maybe it isn't in the usual scope or information for a camera book to go into this type of information, so I'll tell you: before you buy this camera, get a computer than can handle it.

If you are looking for a fully illustrated book in color, go elsewhere. If you are looking for a concise to the point instruction manual, this may be your book. There is no fluff, but the explanations for most items will get you moving in the right direction. Most of the photos in the book are pointless filler (no color). The explanations are more technical than thought provoking.

I was hoping for more comprehensive suggestions and examples for some of the esoteric custom functions. The book goes a bit beyond the manual, but not as much as it could have if they'd so intended.